Means for operating oil wells



March 26, 1.940.. Aw, E SCHOENECK, 2,194,616

MEANS FOR OPERATING OIL wELLs I Filed Nov. 1'7, 1937 Robucnve. Ik

Patented Mar. 26," 1940 2,194,616 y MEANS ron creanme' on. WELLS` William E. Schoeneck, Shreveport, In., assigner to The Ohio Oil Company, Findlay, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application November 17, 1937, Serial No. 175,126

4 claims. (c1. iss-1) This invention relates to operating wells in a producing oil field especially where the oil body or deposit is such that the withdrawal of oil is accompanied by a considerable quantity of brine 5 c or salt water. 'I'here are many oil fields in which the petroleum-can be obtained only 'accompanied by considerable quantities of salt water found to exist in and about the oil body.

While there is an obvious disadvantage in the presence of the salt water in the oil as recovered due to the difculty of separation yet there are many other reasons which interfere with successful. and economical operation of such Wells.

" Chief of these objections, is that the hydrostatic f5 pressure upon an @i1 body is diminished by the removal of liquid. When the quantity of liquid is in excess of the oil actually recovered, there is a resulting excess in loss of pressure. In other words the quantity of salt water removed from the 2 well necessarily causes an additional loss of oil pressure. This results in hastening the time wheny the oil will no longer flow from its own pressure but will require to be withdrawn by pumping or other artificially applied means.

Another important factor in the operation of such an oil well is the disposal of the salt water recovered with the oil. Several solutions have been tried but in every instance are open to conspicuous objections. The following are examples of such solutions which are directly affected by this invention.

When this refuse salt water can be impounded in storage pits, this practice is frequently followed. However, the maintenance of Vstorage pits is subject to limitations both as to capacity and feasibility of locating them near the head of the well.

In many instances the salt water is allowed to drain into existing running streams but in this case there is a limit to what can be done without acting contrary to the public interest or infringing upon the rights of neighboring land' owners.

Some attempts have been-made at sub-surface disposal by piping the salt water to an agreed point of concentration remote from the producing part of the oil field. Here a large quantity of expensive equipment is involved for the limited period at which the disposal needs to be carried 5o out. Also the capacity of the system must be equal to the total water production of the field. Again, there is the evident objection that such concentration and disposal may be against public interest and a trespass on the surface rights of the locality. Maintenance of such a system is of course a manner of considerable expense.

When such sub-surface disposal is carried o ut Within the limits or area of the producing field it cannot be said to be feasible if the control of i .this field is shared by several or many independent operators. Such disposal in this manner is prejudicial to the individual operators and results in nonuniform or unbalancing eect upon the wells in production at the time the system is installed. 5 One of, theobjects of this invention is to provide means applicable'to each individual producing well without interference with other wells of the same field andi without excessive cost of equipment or maintenance. i a further object of the invention is` to minimize the loss of pressure upon the *oil body during its recovery.

One advantage ofthis invention also is the :fact

that the maximum quantity of oil will be re- 15 covered from the oil bodysurrounding the Well.-

A further object of the invention isthev utiliza.-`r tion of existing well equipment `and the require"-l mentfor the simplestv and minimum amount of additional equipment..

A further object of the invention is to effect Vthe disposal of the waste salt water with a minimum expenditure of power andby utilizing the existing natural forces.

Further objects of the invention will be evident 25 from the following description and claims. l For the purpose of illustrating one manner .in'

which this invention` may be carried out,vI have shown on the accompanying drawing the preferred form of device. The drawing includes: 30

Fig. 111s ak vertical cross-section of a typical oil well arranged to carry outvthis invention;

Fig. 2 is a .longitudinal section of the upper portion of the tool used in carrying out the in' vention. and 35 Fig. 3 is a corresponding longitudinal crosssection of the lower portion of the same tool.

By wayv of"v illustrating the preferred form in which this invention may be practiced there has been shown in the accompanying drawing a 40' schematic view of an oil well of general type.

This well is driven through the overlying formations I, the oil bearing sand or deposit 5 and the lower formation 6. Typical of such formations the oil body has above it an impervious cap 45 rock 1.

The well B is shown to have ,been extended' through each formation with its bottom in the I underlying or base'formation. The formation is cored and a blank liner 9 is cemented with slow setting cement from .a distance above the base.

of the lowermost sand section into the producing casing I0 of -the well andto approximately2200l 4 feet therein.

Any excess cement remaining in the hole is 55 drilled out and the open hole cleaned as well as possible. After this the blank liner is perforated as shown at Il in the oil producing zone by shooting.

i Withdrawal of the oil is carried out through co a shut-oli.' device of the following description. A tube or piping I2 extends from a pointV above 'the productive horizon downwardly for a considerable' distance as shown in`Fig.--2. This tub- --.ing at its lower end has an open extension I9 (Fig. 3) attached by means of a coupling I4.

Suitable hook-wall slips with guides I5 are mounted on the lower endof the tubing I2 in the usual manner and co-operate with the liner 9 and cone It for centering. The cone is mounted upon ,the tubing I2 as shown in Fig. 3.

To distinguish the tube I2 from the surround- Aing elements it will be called thereturn tube as it serves as means by which liquid is returned to the well and at a pointA below the perforatins II through which the oil and salt water are withdrawn.

Surrounding an intermediate part of the rc turn tube I2 is the lower packer I1 of oil proof rubber or the like adapted to iit tightly between the liner 9 and the return tube I2. Above lower packer I1 extends a loose spacer pipe I9 also perforated as indicated at I9 with holes opposite'x the perforations I I in the liner 9.

Above the spacer pipe I9 there is a second or upper packer 29 also of oil proof rubber or the ;llvery pipe 23 which connects with suitable tubing, standing valve and the like at the top of the well where pumping equipment may be installed irnecessary. A Within the return tube I2 there is carried a connecting pipe 24. The upper. end of this connecting pipe is dared or swaged and then welded or otherwise permanently attached to the end oi' the return pipe I2 above the passageway 22. The

l lower end fof the pipe has an elbow 29 which Y passes through the side wall of the tube I2 and r forms an opening opposite the periorations I9 'and II. Y

At the top of the well an extension 29 of the 'deliverypipe passes into the separator 21. In the latter the discharge from the well islseparated, the -oil being carried on while the salt water is returned through pipe 2l to the top o! the well.

vIf conditions render it necessary a return pump 29 may be utilized to add pressure to the returning stream oi salt water. .I

The so-called tool above described in detail may be conveniently and economically constructed. It may be inserted as a section ofthe usual tubing ,of a productive well Y' A When so utilized this device connects the interior of the welly at the oil delivery level by means of the connecting pipe to the delivery tube through which the oil or mixed oil and saltwater rises out o! the well. When the pressure on the field` is suicientthese mixed' uids rise without Arequiring any pumping.

'Ihe packers I'I and 2l coniine the discharge oi the liquids to the connecting pipeand prevent 'them rori` passing up within the liner.

will 'flow downward to the -return pipe I2 by reason of the natural hydrostatic pressure oi' the water which will be'more than the normal pressure on the iield or oil body. This hydrostatic pressure, howe er, will be-increased by optional use of the p 29.

The salt water is delivered through the open extension I3 to the well beneath the point of withdrawal or oi' the oil body. This salt water will penetrate the sand of the base formation and rise against the oil body itself.

` In this way the salt water returned to the well -will compensate for that withdrawn with the oil. 'Ihis reduces the loss of pressure upon the oil body to that which is attributable solely to the delivery 0T oil.

In its upward travel this salt water also flushes out the lower level of the oil body insuring the maximum delivery. of oil to the point of withdrawal.

By this action the point of withdrawal'remains the same until the oil body is entirely depleted,

the oil being gradually caused to rise and'apthe apparatus by which it is carried out have been set forth merely by way of example. The

invention includes such modrdcations in minor details of arrangement as will occur to one skilled in the art and within the scope rof the appended claims.

What I claim is: l. In oil well piping, a return pipe having an opening in its side, a connecting pip'e having an end registering with said opening and its other' end closing an end of the return pipe and a second opening through the side of the return pipe near its closed end.

2'. In oil well piping, a return pipe having an opening in its side, a connecting pipe having an end registering with said opening and its other end closing'an end of the return pipe, and a sleeve around said pipe end, said sleeve and pipe end both having registering openings. Y

3. In* oil well piping, a return pipe having an opening in its side, a connecting pipe having an end registering with said opening and its pther end closingan end of the return pipe, a spacer element outside the return pipe, packers on the pipe at opposite ends of said spacer, and a sleeve around said closed pipe end, said sleeve andfpipe end both having registering openings.

4. Means for extracting oil from a well having the customary casing and perforated liner, comprising a return tube, an open extension at the lower end thereof, a perforated spacer tube surroimdingthe return tube, upper Vand lower packers between said tube and the liner, a head on the upper end of the return tube, said tube andhead having a lateral passageway, a delivery pipe attached to the head and a connecting pipe within the return pipe and having one end -opening into the..de1ivery pipe and the other end opening' through the return pipe.

WILLIAM E. sHoENEcK. 

